This Is How Venezuela Celebrates the 'Holy Innocents Day'



"Holy Innocents Day" party in Venezuela, Dec. 28, 2021. | Photo: teleSUR

The "Feast of the Crazy," the "Las Zaragozas Dance," the "Crazy of the Candle," and the "Turns of Saint Benito" are some of elaborate expressions of Venezuelan folklore.

On Dec. 28, Latin American peoples commemorate the "Holy Innocents Day," which recalls that baby Jesus escaped the massacre of children ordered by Herod I, the King of Judea.

Venezuelans celebrate these holidays by making jokes amid artistic expressions that melt symbols from various cultures.

In Sanare town, in the state of Lara, people say prayers and dance “Las Zaragozas,” while musical groups play songs in Tamunangue rythm. In the procession, the characters wear multicolored masks and costumes.

In the states of Merida, Trujillo, and Portuguesa, Venezuelans commemorate the "Feast of the Crazy." There, after the end of the Mass in honor of the Holy Innocents, people dress in cut-in-pieces costumes and cover their faces with masks.



The video shows people performing the dance of the Zaragozas during the feast of the Three Kings in January.

The state of Falcon performs the "Crazy of the Candle," a party in which participants wear women's dresses to dance through the streets.

The state of Merida celebrates the "Turns of Saint Benito," a performance in which people dance around a stick of ribbons to pay for the promises and favors received during the year. Musicians with local guitars ("el cuatro") and violins animate the procession in honor of the Black saint.

In Vargas state, the Naiguata town is famous for celebrating “the Government of Women,” a party in which women dress as men.